Life Aboard

[Tori]

After four months living aboard these are the things we have discovered thus far:

Bathroom amenities-you try not to poop in your head if possible and you only take showers as needed not as frequently as in a house (you find yourself in big roomy bathrooms going wow what a waste of space)

Laundry-pain in the rear so you wear everything twice

Weather-you are much more aware of the weather be it hot or cold raining or dry

Dishes-we try not to use them because they are harder to wash on the boat

Foods-we tend to choose items in cans, eaten from the box,fresh fruits and veggies, or easily cooked on the grill- no more frozen goods or milk and cereal

Shopping-we limit ourselves to what is easily carried down the dock

Storage-now instead of buying "stuff" we just look at it because there is no place to put non essentials on the boat

Houses-you realize in retrospect how much space is wasted and how much they cost to upkeep

Beer-harder to keep it cold

Being sick-really sucks on a moving boat especially if you are nauseous

But...no lawn to mow...lot less expensive overall...we have become much more frugal...people are more friendly

Dunno what else...what are others observations?

[tager]

You wouldn't be sick if you ate better food, washed yourself more, and washed your clothes more.

[Tori]

Lmao actually it was probably the warm beer

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Tori

After four months living aboard these are the things we have discovered thus far:

Bathroom amenities-you try not to poop in your head if possible and you only take showers as needed not as frequently as in a house (you find yourself in big roomy bathrooms going wow what a waste of space)

Laundry-pain in the rear so you wear everything twice

Weather-you are much more aware of the weather be it hot or cold raining or dry

Dishes-we try not to use them because they are harder to wash on the boat

Foods-we tend to choose items in cans, eaten from the box,fresh fruits and veggies, or easily cooked on the grill- no more frozen goods or milk and cereal

Shopping-we limit ourselves to what is easily carried down the dock

Storage-now instead of buying "stuff" we just look at it because there is no place to put non essentials on the boat

Houses-you realize in retrospect how much space is wasted and how much they cost to upkeep

Beer-harder to keep it cold

Being sick-really sucks on a moving boat especially if you are nauseous

But...no lawn to mow...lot less expensive overall...we have become much more frugal...people are more friendly

Dunno what else...what are others observations?

I have milk on the boat. I shower every day, but I live in Florida and it's still really warm down here.

I like the freedom from "stuff." My cats are much happier onboard than they were on land. Didn't expect that one!

[PattyHamilton]

My cats are still adjusting, but I love living abroad. I learned to get the galley fully functional. Changed out the single sink to a double sink and added more shelving.
Get rid of more stuff.
It has only been 2 months for me, I am still learning. Life is good!

[wunderluster]

This is an encouraging post for me. I will be delivering my boat on Monday and plan to move aboard next month. I have lots of stuff to sell before then. I'm a little anxious, yet excited to finally be getting there.

I will be at a dock initially but, I'm going to attempt to not hook up the electricity. It is a seperate bill that I will try to avoid. I'll most likely be shopping for solar panels soon. No air, but I do have refrig.

I'm glad you have all adjusted so well.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by PattyHamilton

My cats are still adjusting, but I love living abroad. I learned to get the galley fully functional. Changed out the single sink to a double sink and added more shelving.
Get rid of more stuff.
It has only been 2 months for me, I am still learning. Life is good!

I have a rule for my galley: nothing goes in it unless it can do three jobs. They don't all have to be galley jobs.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by wunderluster

This is an encouraging post for me. I will be delivering my boat on Monday and plan to move aboard next month. I have lots of stuff to sell before then. I'm a little anxious, yet excited to finally be getting there.

I will be at a dock initially but, I'm going to attempt to not hook up the electricity. It is a seperate bill that I will try to avoid. I'll most likely be shopping for solar panels soon. No air, but I do have refrig.

I'm glad you have all adjusted so well.

I have a friend who lives on his boat "on the hook," and he gets by on two big (maybe 2 1/2 X 4?) solar panels. He has a small refrigerator.

EXCEPT: the connections don't hold up well to the marine environment, and it seems as if one of them is almost always down. So if you don't have that knowledge, bone up on the ins and outs of solar panels. Don't just assume they will work well. Often some contact needs to be cleaned, but sometimes it has to be rewired.

Also, he lives in Florida -- lots of sunshine -- but he still has to come into the club on cloudy days to charge up his batteries.

[boatman61]

If you want steady power then you need wind and sun... especially if running a fridge...
Had an Aerogen and a big 130W panel on my Bene'... it ran a coolbox/fridge, wheel pilot, fans and other 12v nav and domestics.. also ran (occasionally) a 1500inverter....
My Westerly only had a Aerogen... but no fridge and a frugal tiller pilot...
never 'had' to run the engine...

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

I have a rule for my galley: nothing goes in it unless it can do three jobs. They don't all have to be galley jobs.

I struggle to hold down one job!

Does that mean I don't get to go in the galley?

[Unicorn Dreams]

We have one piece of galley equipment that has a single function, the counter top ice maker. Guess you could get beer cold in the ice hopper.

[Tori]

An icemaker is on the list ! As is a wind generator and solar panels but alas money doesn't grow on trees

[Jamel]

Originally Posted by Unicorn Dreams

We have one piece of galley equipment that has a single function, the counter top ice maker. Guess you could get beer cold in the ice hopper.

More info on the icemaker please, !2v or mains?

[Rhapsody-NS27]

I've usually seen small ice makers like this one.

I saw at least a few of them in Afghanistan. 120v though. doesn't look like something to stay plugged in unless you're on shore power.

[Eleven]

In the last century, when I was a wee lad, milk bottles (glass) lived under a foam sponge sleeve in a bowl of water. The evaporation was SUPPOSED to keep the milk a little cooler.
For tea/coffee/emergencies there are some credible powders, but beer seems to be the favourite.
I strongly recommend turning the heads into a wet room with it's own bilge pump driven shower in it's own bilge. Recirc'ing the soapy shower water reduces wastage considerably. A couple of valves and hoses and a fresh water rinse is available, and discharge to where-ever you are allowed to discharge to.
Adding separate Drinking and Washing water tanks allows rain water collection to ease the heavy job of carrying your water on board. A gallon a day is all you need in the way of drinking/cooking water. The rest goes down the drain.
LED lighting is available for 12v batteries at £3 each. There is a small wind genny for £200 that should keep your radio's and lighting going most of the time. Get the basics working first, add solar as finance allows, the flexing ones are best, with a wide sun catching angle, working a little from dawn 'till dusk, not just in bright sunshine.
I'm sure you've already worked out that draft proofing is more important than heating for chilly overnights. Just get the kettle on first thing, and don't forget to pop a vent hatch.